Farmingdale family seeks bone-marrow donor for son, 8

THE last time Jake Amato went to school, his second-grade teacher and classmates shaved their heads to welcome him.

Jake, 8, has leukemia and lost his hair during chemotherapy. So about 20 classmates at Northside Elementary in Farmingdale went bald, too.

But Jake won't be able to rejoin them in third grade this fall. His mother, Debbie Amato, says her son needs a bone-marrow transplant to recover. In the meantime, Jake remains in chemotherapy and stays at home to avoid infection. Debbie Amato hopes a bone marrow drive Aug. 29 will yield a match for the transplant. "The sitting and the waiting and the chemotherapy is driving me crazy at this point," Amato said.

As she talked in the family's Farmingdale home Wednesday, Jake climbed atop the couch and started crawling around, laughing - just hours after having a chemotherapy treatment at Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park.

His brother, Kenny, 10, dubbed him the "couch monkey."

When Debbie Amato said that her son misses school, Jake protested. "No, I don't!" he said. "The only thing I like is seeing my friends. And recess and gym."

Jake was diagnosed at age 4 with childhood leukemia, a bone-marrow disorder in which defective white blood cells can cause blood problems and infections. He battled the disease for more than three years before going into remission in January.

But in June, the Amatos learned the cancer was back. Jake had five days of chemotherapy at the beginning of August and still has regular visits to the hospital for smaller doses, his mother said.

"I just want to stay home and never have to go back there again," Jake said.

Since the cancer returned, Jake has spent most of his time at home. He can't have more than one or two friends over at a time, and the family doesn't go to restaurants or the movies, Debbie Amato said.

Friends, neighbors and classmates have rallied around him, making "Team Jake" T-shirts and holding bake sales. And Debbie Amato has helped organize the marrow drive with DKMS, a marrow donor center.

"This is his last chance," said Katharina Harf, a co-founder of DKMS Americas. "You just sit around and you hope that there will be this stranger out there who will agree to donate."

Those who can't make it to the drive can sign up for a registration kit at www.getswabbed.org.